Two weeks later …

Two big green eyes looked up at her. “What do you want Froggie and me to do next?” Ethan held onto one green arm and the stuffed toy dangled from his hand.

“Um …” The chicken was in the oven. The vegetables were chopped and ready to roast in the drippings. Ethan had ‘helped’ her cut them up. Not really! He’d used a butter knife and had chopped up all of one carrot, but he’d felt like he helped and that was what was important. He also helped Alice to throw away all the peels. She planned on making some gravy a bit closer to meal time.

Ethan looked up at her with such expectation in his eyes. She could see that he was enjoying himself. So was she. The little guy was easy to like. Who was she kidding, he was easy to love. He was the sweetest little kid.

Alice wiped her damp hands on her apron. “What about a dessert?” She raised her brows.

Ethan’s eyes brightened up. “Yes, yes!” He bounced around. Froggie bounced around too. “What should we make?”

“Hmmmm … let me see.” She pretended to think about it. She’d spotted a few ingredients that would work. “What about a banana pie?”

His mouth widened and he nodded hard. “Froggie loves bananas.”

“Does he?”

“Yes. Very much.”

“Oh good.” Alice rubbed her hands together. “Let’s make a banana pie then. Can you and Froggie help me fetch the things we need?”

“I a big boy.” Ethan beamed.

“You sure are.” She couldn’t help but smile. “Right, we need cookies. I saw some in the cupboard over there.”

Ethan raced over to the pantry and opened the door.

“They’re up there on the top shelf, so let me help you get them.” Making sure to bend through the knees, Alice lifted the little tyke. Ethan was heavier than he looked. “What have you been eating?” she giggled as she lifted him. His hands were outstretched.

“You shouldn’t be doing that.” Even though she could hear it was Ash, Alice still jumped at his sudden booming voice. He’d been out all day.

Then he was there taking Ethan from her. “Hi, buddy.”

“Hi, Daddy.” Ethan grabbed the cookies.

“While you’re up there, get the chocolate chips as well, please, Ethan.” She risked a glance at Ash and almost wished she hadn’t. He wore low-riding, faded blue jeans and nothing else. She could even smell him. So good.

“We making banana pie, Dad.”

“Oh really? That sounds good.” Ash turned and put Ethan down before pulling back up to his full height. Her eyes were drawn to his abs, to the smattering of hair there. Alice quickly averted her gaze. “Hi.” Ash leaned in and kissed her on the cheek.

The cheek.

What the hell?

He’d taken to doing that when he left and returned home. A kiss on the cheek. He may as well slap her while he was at it. Things felt awkward and stilted between them. The only things they talked about were Ethan and the pregnancy. She realized that she hadn’t said anything back. “Hi. How was your day?” Next they’d discuss the weather.

“Good.” That was all. Alice waited for more, but Ash was already turning to face Ethan. “What else do we need to make this pie?”

“Don’t know.” Ethan’s eyes were wide.

“What kind of pie is it?” Ash asked.

“Banana pie,” Ethan replied.

“So, what else do we need to make a banana pie?”

Ethan shrugged and Ash chuckled. “What about a couple of bananas?”

“Yes.” Ethan nodded. “Yes, bananas!” he yelled.

Alice had to laugh.

* * *

Ash loved it when Alice laughed. Heck, he loved it when she smiled. The way her big brown eyes lit up. The sound that rolled off her lips. It came from deep inside her. Somewhere sweet and pure. Ethan had taken to her the moment he laid eyes on her and Ash couldn’t blame his son. The two of them had become fast friends, spending a ton of time together.

The only thing was that Alice didn’t seem comfortable around him. She hadn’t settled in like he’d hoped she would. He was working his butt off to get the new place ready. Maybe if she had her own space. Alice couldn’t possibly be happy staying in Ethan’s room. The bed was low. There were soft toys on every shelf. The side lamp was covered in car print, as were the drapes. The space was very much for a little boy. All blues with splashes of red. Ash had offered to swap on several occasions, but Alice wouldn’t have it. The best thing he could do was work doubly hard to get their cabin done.

Worst of all though was how she tensed up anytime he got close to her. As in shut down. She wouldn’t look at him, or initiate any conversation that didn’t involve the kids. It was still early days. He needed to give it some time.

“I’ll also need the cream and the butter from the fridge.” She spoke to Ethan, glancing at him.

Ash knelt down next to Ethan as he opened up the door and looked around inside. He looked around some more, even rubbing his little chin.

Ash chuckled. “There’s the cream in the door, bottom rung.”

“There!” Ethan yelled as he spotted the cream, which he took.

“The butter is behind the jar of pickles,” Ash whispered.

His son reached in and grabbed the butter as well.

“Go get yourself a chair and you can whip the cream for me.” Alice plugged in the mixer and took out a bowl.

Ethan raced to the dining room and began to drag one of the chairs. “Get on the chair, son,” Ash prompted.

Ethan did as he asked, sitting on the chair, a big smile on his face.

“Hold on tight,” Ash warned.

“Okay.” Ethan squealed as Ash lifted the chair. He walked over to where Alice had been standing moments earlier and deposited both the chair and the boy in front of the kitchen counter where the bowl was sitting.

“You stand on that,” Alice instructed, pointing at the chair. “Here.” She opened the cream and poured it into the bowl and then added a couple of spoons of sugar. She glanced at him. “You can go and take a shower if you want. I know you’ve had a busy day. Ethan and I can finish up.”

“I’m good. I’ve missed you guys.” He ruffled Ethan’s hair.

“You sure?” She raised her brows. “I don’t mind.”

"Do I smell or something?" He pretended to sniff his underarms. He'd had a swim in the lake before heading home, so he knew he was fine.

“Hardly,” Alice mumbled. He wasn’t even sure that was what she’d said. “The more the merrier,” she added, turning and leaning on the counter. Her belly was well curved. Her cheeks flushed. Her breasts were much fuller. Her body lusher now that she was swollen with child. His babies. So damned sexy that he felt his groin tighten. Her scent was what fucked him up the most. Sweet honey. His reaction was so damned inappropriate. It happened all the fucking time though. Whenever he was around her.

Concentrate on the job at hand, Ash. He cleared his throat. “Pick up the mixer, buddy, put it in the cream and I’ll switch it on for you.”

"How did Dr. Evans survive the trip back?" She smiled as she snuck another peek at him. "Poor lady had to make a trip here and back all in one day." She shook her head. "I'm not sure how she managed it."

“Don’t you mean poor me?”

Her smile widened. “I know you can handle it.” Then she blushed. “You did alright when you brought me here. You weren’t tired in the least.”

“She handled it just fine.” The doctor’s appointment had gone off without a hitch. Ash could breathe a little easier knowing that Alice and the babies were doing okay. He’d feel much better once the doctor was living in their village full time though. Two more weeks.

“The trip was uneventful?” Alice poured the whole packet of cookies into another bowl.

“It was all fine.” Something tightened in him. “I didn’t see or scent anything out of the ordinary.” He shrugged, trying to act like everything was hunky dory. “Let’s get this done.” He turned on the mixer and put his hand over Ethan’s.

His mind raced. Though it was quiet, Ash was sure something had been watching them. Call it a feeling in his gut. He hadn’t noticed anything on the way to their village, but he’d felt that prickling sensation down his spine several times on the way back to Sweetwater. It was infuriating. The game was still scared off. Whatever was out there hadn’t left the area, it was just being more cautious. There had been no more strange footprints. No more attacks or sightings of any kind. They weren’t fooled though. There would be no false sense of safety. It was still out there. Still watching. Still planning something. What though?

“That’s perfect.” Alice touched his arm.

Ash turned off the mixer, noticing that the cream was stiff.

“You okay?” Alice looked concerned.

“Yes.” Ash nodded. “You’re right though, I’m just a little tired. It has been a long day. Happy to be helping out. Although, you might need to keep a close eye on me.” He winked but she turned away, repositioning the bowl with the cookies. Make no mistake, Ash was shit at flirting. Particularly the subtle kind. Could he walk up to a female, make his intentions clear and leave with her within seconds flat? Yes, most definitely. Thing was, he mostly didn’t have to say much of anything. They would come to him. They would chase him. Flirting though? Nope! Either Alice didn’t realize he was doing it or she was ignoring him. Maybe she wasn’t ready yet. He wasn’t pushing.

“Time to bash up the cookies.”

“I get to break them?” Ethan sounded excited.

“Yep, I need cookie crumbs.” Alice poured the cookies into a packet, which she tied off and then handed the bag to Ethan. “Wait just a minute.” She handed him a rolling pin. One he didn’t even know he had.

Ethan got to work beating the cookies, there was a big grin on his face. This was nice. This was comfortable. Ash smiled as well. Even though things felt good on the surface, inside him, his stomach churned. He wasn’t sure what the problem was exactly. Part of it was probably the potential outside threat. Though he was definitely terrified of the birth as well. Day by day it seemed that his worry grew, he wasn’t sure if it was just those two factors though. In a way, it felt like it was something else. He just didn’t know what yet.